Wouldn’t it be a whole lot easier if your newborn could just tell you what they want, rather than crying all the time?

That’s the aim of a new smartphone app that analyses a five second recording of a baby’s cries to help parents work out whether their child is hungry, fussy, or in pain.

Dubbed ChatterBaby, the new mobile app was developed by statistician Dr Ariana Anderson and a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr Anderson, a mother of four, originally designed the software to help deaf parents better understand why their baby was upset, but soon realised the tool could be useful for all parents.

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ChatterBaby is free to download on iOS and Android. The smartphone app was developed by statistician Dr Ariana Anderson of the University of California, Los Angeles

ChatterBaby works by recording five seconds of your baby’s cries.

The smartphone app then analyses over 6,000 different acoustic features in the recording to try and match its characteristics against a database of more than 2,000 samples created by the team.

Dr Anderson and her team recorded small children during ear piercings and vaccinations to work out the acoustic features of pain cries.

The researchers turned to a panel of mums to help categorise the remaining two categories within the app – fuss, and hungry – with the panel having to unanimously agree on what the cry meant.

According to the team behind ChatterBaby, the algorithm powering the app is able to accurately predict whether a baby is crying or not 90 per cent of the time.

They also claim the software can identify 90 per cent of all pain cries.

The smartphone app then analyses over 6,000 different acoustic features in the recording to try and match its characteristics against a database of more than 2,000 samples created by the team

‘We're taking a five-second audio sample, we look at over 6,000 different acoustic features and we try to see which features associated with each state using artificial intelligence,’ Dr Anderson said.

Although the smartphone app has launched, Dr Anderson continues to improve the database.

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Each time the app is used to identify an infant’s wails, the audio recording will be saved on the company servers to help improve the algorithm.

The developers behind the software caution: ‘When you record your baby's cry via the ChatterBaby app, the app sends the cry to our servers to remove as much background noise as possible to focus on analysing the cry.

‘A majority of the time, the researchers don't listen to the cries – only our machines do!’

ChatterBaby works by recording a five seconds of your baby’s cries. Parents who use the app can provide feedback about the meaning behind a specific, which will enable the researchers to add more categories to the app in the future

Parents who use ChatterBaby can provide feedback about the meaning behind a specific wail, which will enable the researchers to add more categories to the app in the future.

Dr Anderson added: ‘We have things like “ear infection,” we have “colic,” we have “tired,” we have every possible reason under the sun because we want to be able to increase the number of words in our vocabulary later on.’

University of California, Los Angeles researchers are hoping the audio data captured by the ChatterBaby app will be able to help further research into how a baby's cries can affect their likelihood for development and likelihood for autism.

ChatterBaby is available for free on iOS and Android.

HOW IMPORTANT IS BABY BABBLE?

Scientists claim that talking to babies gives them advantages in life far beyond a larger vocabulary.

They say that chatting to babies under the age of one helps them make friends, as well as making them brighter because they are better able to discover the world around them.

There is some debate about how important it is and also if adults should use their normal voice.

Speaking more slowly, using a sing-song voice, and using strange words are commonplace when talking to tiny tots, but past research found that it may be detrimental to a child.

Conflicting research claims the high-pitched voice used when talking to a baby is essential.

'Baby talk' is believed by many to help with developing early speech and language skills.

These are associated with success in developing reading, writing, and interpersonal skills, both later in childhood and later in life.

Long before they can speak clearly, babies understand the general meaning of what you're saying.

This bond is important in their development and happiness.

Other advice includes:

Have back-and-forth conversations in baby talk

Imitate baby's vocalisations such as 'ba-ba' or 'goo-goo'

Reinforce communication by smiling and mirroring facial expressions.

Imitate baby's gestures as body language is important to their communication

Smile often at the baby, especially when the child is engaged in baby talk

Look at the baby as the tot makes noises

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ChatterBaby is a new app that analyses baby's cries to tell you if they are hungry, fussy or in pain